I fully admit I scoffed last summer at the notion that RB Shaun Alexander should be downgraded due to the possibility that he’d be stricken by the dreaded “Madden Curse.” Alexander, as you know, had his season severely slowed by an injury, but I don’t place the blame on the curse. I place the blame on his 29-year old body, the 330 carries he averaged in the five seasons prior, and that fact that, after playing all 16 games in his first six seasons, the law of averages said he was due to get hurt.

For the most part, I think there’s a direct correlation between injury issues with the Madden Cover Boys and a heavy career workload. That makes Vince Young – who is expected to be formally announced as this year’s cover on the Jimmy Kimmel show tonight – unique this year. Young is 24 years old, and he’s been very durable. Sure, he runs a lot, so an injury is always possible, but Young strikes me as the perfect candidate to break this so-called curse. He’s not only big, strong, and youthful, he’s got an intangible quality, an aura. If I was Young, and I walked under [...]

About John Hansen

Specializing in football, Hansen is one of the most connected fantasy writers in the country.

If you’re a 24/7/365 football nut, chances are you’ve already digested just about all you can about yesterday’s blockbuster LeSean McCoy/Kiko Alonso trade between the Eagles and Bills. I’ve gone on record on Twitter saying I don’t like the deal for Buffalo – McCoy is an eight-figure back coming off a down year, still a “star” in name but one in which I’d hav […]

We continue to update the position battles around the league, but in this blog, I thought looking at preseason playing time would be interesting. The depth chart doesn’t always tell the whole story and it’s certainly worth noting when players get in the game and who they get to play with, whether it’s with the first-team offense or the backups. If you’re loo […]